Stolen By Lucy Christopher

When we think about the word stolen, what usually comes to our mind are the material things taken away from us without our permission. I, for one, remember when my favorite lipstick ( M.A.C Ruby Woo) was stolen and Boy! did I raise a havoc!! And even though at that time I was mad because not only it was my signature shade or that I had saved and bought it, they did take something more from me as well. My trust and a sense of safety that my things would be safe in the room ( I stayed in PG that time). Well after that incident I did start locking everything up in my closet. So recently when I came across the book Stolen by Lucy Christopher the first thing that came to my mind was my Ruby Woo.

Synopsis: Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don’t exist – almost.

What I Felt: The story is written really well. The way Lucy describes the Australian landscape is amazing. I could totally picture it in front of my eyes. Usually books start at a low pace where characters and storylines are established however in this book the action starts from Page One. It is like “Taken” movie but from the kidnapped girl’s perspective where the kidnapper is in love with her and yeah there is no Liam Neeson trying to save her. As the story progresses it does kind of get repetitive as Gemma has the same conversations in her head again and again. I found her character to be very one dimensional. Contradictory to her’s was Ty. I loved the way his character had so many layers which made him the anti hero we fall in love with. He can be cruel and selfish but also caring and selfless which makes one want to understand him even more. There is one part of you that just wishes that Gemma and Ty end up together though it is not right. It approaches the topic of Stockholm Syndrome (in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors) in a relatable way. On every step of the story you can feel how Gemma is falling in love with Ty which is excellent writing.

Overall I would give it a 3.5/5

Coming to my movie cast for Stolen.

Ansel Elgort as Ty

<> at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 15, 2015 in New York City.

2) Chloe Moretz as Gemma

Who do you guys feel should star in the movie version of Stolen? Do let me know in comment section down below.